Editor’s note: It is cross country time again. We have been lucky over the past couple years to have the Stoltz report to keep us informed. Jana has moved on to the great college in the West and we are lucky to Kristin Sweeney ready and willing to step in and keep us informed. Kristin runs for Maclay and is part of the class of 2013. She ran a 19:30 in the State finals last year to place 14th. Here is her first report of 2010.

From Kristin Sweeney,

The 2010 high school cross-country season is off and running! Traveling to various venues, area teams began the season on the right foot. Claiming five of the top ten spots, the Chiles girls made an excellent showing at the Carollton Orthopaedic XC Invitational in Carollton, Georgia. Junior Lily Williams led the Timberwolves in a time of 18:56 and was followed by teammates Carly Thomas in second (19:18) and Jodie McGuff in third (19:56.) Not only did the ladies win their meet, but the boys also dominated their competition. With their top five in the top fifteen, Taylor Buzzard (16:40) and Sam Sutton (17:20) took first and second respectively for Chiles. Leon also fared well at this competition with the boys claiming second in the Championship race. Riley Doherty ran a time of 16:33 for fifth place followed closely by John Hazelton in sixth with a time of 16:38.

Farther south in Marianna, Florida, other Tallahassee teams competed in the Panhandle XC Jamboree. Godby, Maclay, and North Florida Christian completed the course despite the stifling heat. Patrick Swain of Maclay led the men’s field in 16:34, and his team received fourth. Stefanie Kurgatt, also from Maclay, took over the girls’ field early in the race and finished in 18:59. She also led her team to a fourth place finish. On the boys’ side, Godby came in twelfth place, and North Florida Christian followed in thirteenth overall. Neither of these two teams had enough girls to compose a team. Only one week into the season, area runners are already showing their dominance outside of Tallahassee.